Sunjwan Encounter: Slain Militants Were Afghanis Or From Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Says ADGP Jammu

Jammu and Kashmir police Saturday said that two slain Jaish-e-Muhammad killed in Sunjwan encounter on April 22 were speaking Poshtu language only and initial investigations reveal that the slain duo were either Afghanis or from the Pakistan’s Khyber-Pokhtoonkhan belt. Police also said that given the arms and ammunition seized from the slain, it is believed that they were tasked to carry out massive suicide strike in Jammu.

Addressing a press conference in Jammu, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Jammu, Mukesh Singh said that after a through investigations and analysing the Close Circuit Television Set (CCTVs) footages, it was concluded that the two Jaish fidayeen were picked up by a Kashmiri youth from Kokernag identified as Bilal Ahmed Wagay a Jaish operative from Samba in a truck laden with vegetable crades.

“Investigations also suggest that two Kashmiri brothers from Tral Shafiq Ahmed and Asif Ahmed who were working in a walnut factory in Narwal, close to Sujwan area were in touch with a Jaish commander through Telegram application. The Jaish commander has been identified as having a code name Veer,” Singh said “The role of another youth Iqbal from Dhamhal Hanjipora has also come to fore. We have arrested Shafiq and Iqbal while Bilal Wagay is on the run.”

The ADGP said that after interrogating Shafiq, it was revealed that slain Jaish fidayeen were not able to speak Urdu, Hindi, English but only Poshtu. “This suggests that the fidayeen were either from Pakistan’s Khyber-Pokhtoonkha belt or Afghanis,” he said,

He said that Bilal Way had reached Jammu on April 20 and helped the fidayeen travel from Samba to Sunjwan. “All these Kashmir youth were in touch with JeM commander across under code name Veer and the Telegram group run by them was named as Pagal Jamaat,” the ADGP said.

He said the JeM commander Veer had informed Bilal Wagay and Shafiq that they have to receive two Jaish fidayeen in Jammu. “The slain fidayeen were tasked to carry out massive strike in Jammu region which was foiled by our alert forces. More arrests are likely to be made in the case as investigations are on,” the ADGP Jammu said.